(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power plug receptacles having safety features, and more particularly to a power plug receptacle having a safety cover, wherein a socket is coupled with a rotary safety cover that is resiliently ejected by a spring to cover the holes of the socket when not being used. The safety cover thus can prevent the socket from foreign object intrusion.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
The power plug receptacles of the prior art, installed on a wall or being a part of a power cord, have a number of sockets each having two or three holes for receiving a power plug. The sockets of a conventional power plug receptacle are usually uncovered, which are susceptible to foreign object insertion by inadvertent children and may thereby cause electric shock hazard. It is a further disadvantage that dust and liquid drops would get into the sockets to cause erosion problem.
A commonly seen safety feature for power plug receptacles is a cover plate having a plurality of upright posts that could be coupled with the holes of a socket. By attaching the plate to a socket, the protective functions against foreign intrusion and dust collection are indeed achieved. It is however disadvantageous in that the cover plate can be easily taken off children, and in that the cover plate has to be removed from the receptacle when the associated socket is in use. People need to take extra effort to keep the removed cover plates.
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a power plug receptacle having a safety cover, wherein at least a pivot hole, a guiding slot, a locking post and a torsional spring are provided within a socket and are coupled with corresponding members on the safety cover, by which the safety cover is resiliently ejected by the spring into a position where the holes of the socket and the holes of the safety cover are misaligned. Therefore, the socket is automatically sealed. To use the socket, the safety cover is rotated about an axis to have the socket holes and the cover holes suitably aligned for receiving a power plug. This mechanism achieves the protective functions against foreign intrusion and dust collection, and further solves the problem of removed safety cover keeping.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.